Source: Liverpool_Echo
David Prentice: Elementary reasons why physio Mick ‘Baz’ Rathbone left Everton FC
EVERTON'S recently departed physio, Mick Rathbone, is nicknamed Baz. You don't need a briar pipe or a deerstalker to work out why.[LNB]Basil Rathbone, of course, was the star of countless Sherlock Holmes movies in the 1930s and 40s - but you didn't need acute powers of deduction to work out why modern day Baz and the Blues parted company this week.[LNB]Rathbone's reputation throughout his eight years at Everton has been glowing.[LNB]A learned and talented physio, his offbeat but engaging personality also endeared him to all at Finch Farm.[LNB]But during the past 12 months Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Victor Anichebe and Phil Neville have all suffered severe setbacks to serious injuries.[LNB]And for a club with resources as tight as Everton, that's a serious problem.[LNB]Sadly for Baz, the buck stopped at the Head of Sports Medicine.[LNB]Outsiders could argue that Rathbone was unlucky. Certainly the Blues have picked up more serious injuries on the pitch in the last 12 months than at any time in the last 20 years.[LNB]But Moyes' reaction was telling.[LNB]For a man about to embark upon his ninth full season as Everton manager, his ambition, his drive and his desire to improve still burns as brightly as ever.[LNB]The decision to part company with his physio was a ruthless one.
